Export of rice under barter system to Iran suggested (Pakistan)"Karachi: The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (Unisame) appreciated the permission to export wheat to Iran under barter system and urged the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) to allow barter trade for the export of rice and other commodities as well. Unisame also urged the MOC to expedite the procedure for barter for wheat to enable commencement of business."

Dozens of bombs kill at least 52 across Iraq"More than 30 bombs struck cities and towns across Iraq on Tuesday, killing at least 52 people and wounding about 250, despite a massive security clampdown ahead of next week's Arab League summit in Baghdad."

Israel to phase out civilian atomic reactor by 2018"Israel is phasing out a civilian nuclear reactor to which it has admitted foreign inspectors while keeping a second reactor, widely believed to have produced atom bombs, off-limits, officials said on Tuesday."

Just the other day I mentioned that not all oil is created equal. Keep that in mind while reading. -- RF

Brazil Fears Unstable Seabed at Chevron Offshore Field (Rigzone)"Brazilian officials are concerned that the seabed above an offshore oil field operated by U.S. oil major Chevron Corp. is unstable and could lead to a series of oil seeps at the field, according to a report Monday by local newspaper O Globo."

"Power deficit for common consumers shot up on Monday to almost 65 per cent, forcing the Ministry of Water and Power which now controls electricity distribution to resort to up to 16 hours of loadshedding even in urban areas."

"Longer term you will see demand rising and we will need all investments to cope with that demand. In the very long term we will see prices going up because of high demand and as it gets more expensive to get the resources out of the ground."

## Got food? ##Drought spreads to Brazil, crop yields hit"Drought has spread from Argentina and Paraguay to Brazil and is hitting soy yields at a time of growing concerns that regional growth may suffer as pressures mount on commodity prices."Canada recalls 135 brands of ground beef"Canadian food retailers and restaurants were scrambling Tuesday to comply with a massive federal recall of potentially contaminated frozen ground beef."

Survey finds soaring cesium level in soil in Iitate"The Environment Ministry said Monday that a soaring cesium reading of 154,000 becquerels per kilogram has been logged in soil from the village of Iitate, Fukushima Prefecture, the highest level yet."Dire job situation still plagues grads"Half the 2010 graduates from universities and technical colleges, and two-thirds of high school graduates, are either unemployed, working as temporary staff, or have quit or are expected to quit their jobs within three years, according to government estimates."

"The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking as it considers revised regulations that address station blackout, which is the total loss of on-site and off-site alternating current (AC) power to a nuclear power plant."